‘They hardly got a chance to bat…’: Gujarat Titans assistant coach backs teams middle-order amid criticism
Parthiv Patel on GT's failed middle-order
After a thrilling match between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans, which was interrupted by rain a couple of times, GT secured a convincing 3-wicket victory via the DLS method at the Wankhede Stadium.
GT’s assistant coach Parthiv Patel defended his team’s middle order, stating that they have hardly had a chance to bat, as the top order has been in excellent form. Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, and Jos Buttler have all been in good touch with the bat. The GT batters are among the top scorers this IPL season, with several of them featuring in the top five of the Orange Cap list.
The match between GT and MI was a nail-biter. Batting first, MI posted a target of 156, which was later revised to 147 after rain interrupted the game for the second time. GT chased down the target comfortably, although the middle order had limited opportunities to bat. Gerald Coetzee and Rahul Tewatia played crucial roles in sealing the win lower down the order.
“They hardly got a chance to bat. Today was the only day when none of the top three got a fifty. It is just one odd game, but we should have made some right decisions. We are not the team who are happy with just two points, but we want to improve.” Parthiv Patel said during the post-match press conference.
Parthiv also said they are taking one step at a time, and they are not thinking about playoff qualification. He also praised the groundsmen, as the match result wouldn’t have been possible without their efforts. “The groundsmen did well to give us that kind of game. When you are behind in the Duckworth-Lewis method, you want to give yourself a chance. We knew it would be a one-over game at max, and we wanted to give ourselves a chance.” Parthiv added
Gujarat Titans have climbed to the top of the points table after defeating Mumbai Indians in a thrilling encounter. GT now have 16 points from 11 matches, placing them ahead of Royal Challengers Bengaluru. They will next face Delhi Capitals on May 11 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.